Chaos in Royston Vasey
by Oldmoviebuff
Summary: Poor, Poor, Ross. Always with the short end of the lollypop...but not any longer...crap summary I know
1. Chapter 1

Ross sighed as he exited his car, made his way through the eternally grey atmosphere that was Royston Vasey, and entered the City hall.

Contrary to the other government buildings in the town, the city hall was quite rustic on the interior, with high ceilings, marble floors, and long halls lined with columns that made even the minutest noise a thunderous echo. Being a relatively quiet man himself, Ross absolutely loathed walking around in the building. Each step he took produced a rather annoying "clack" that alerted (what he felt) the entire building to his presence. He liked moving around unnoticed, he enjoyed melding into the background, and he reveled in his ability to pass under the "line of vision" thus, allowing him to avoid any unnecessary contact with the growing amount of insane locals.

This was the exact line of thought that Ross used to pass the endless noisy walk that he was forced to endure regularly. That, and of course, Cathy, the incredibly rude head secretary. When she wasn't terrorizing the unfortunates in her newly acquired Restart Class, she was busy making every visit to the City Hall a nightmare to endure. Not an appointment at the Government office went by that didn't begin with his forced contact with her. There was something about her that just made his blood boil. It might have been that horrid perfume she always dosed herself in. It might also be that disgusting cat smell that she failed miserably at covering up with gallons cheap perfume. It could be the three inches of make up that caked her face. These loathsome traits might have been forgivable had it only been skin deep, but no. Cathy Carter-Smith was unpleasant to the core. There could not be a more disagreeable woman on the face of the earth. Any request was met with an evil, hate-filled glare, and every word she spoke stung like a hot needle in the ear.

As he started to reach the end of the long front hall, Ross's thoughts on the echo's and growing dread at the inevitable encounter with Cathy were cut off by a conversation that was being held at his destination. Though the voices were all blending together in that distorted fashion brought on by reverberating walls, He could tell that an argument was in progress.

As he drew closer, Ross could make out three figures; the ever dreadful Cathy perched at her high desk like a vulture, Tomas Morston the mayor's aide, and what looked to be a woman with her back turned to him. As he approached the desk, Cathy gave an audible sigh as she reluctantly turned from the apparently interesting conversation in front of her, to give Ross the death glare.

"Yes _Mister Gaines?_" She hissed with obvious hate towards him or anyone who took her away from eavesdropping. "_What_ can I do for you today?"

" I just need to drop off the Campbell-Jones file….." he was instantly distracted by the increasing volume of the discourse a few feet away from him.

"Look, I don't care _who_ you work for, it's just not possible!" said Morston in an agitated tone. " The Windermere is closed until further notice! It doesn't matter how long ago the reservation had been made, a tragedy just occurred there for Godsake!"

The young woman bent her head forward and rubbed her eyes in exasperation. This little back and forth had obviously been going on for a while now and, more than likely, in circles.

"Please understand, I empathize, I really do, but try to see this from my point of view. I have just spent the longest 48 hours of my life on a crowded plane, a sketchy train, and in a cab with really sweet, but talkative driver. I am exhausted. I smell like coach seats. All I want to do is take a bath and sleep. Now imagine, please try, how I am expected to feel when I finally make it to your "little town" and find out that there is NO place for me to stay. A letter of introduction was sent to your mayor months ago by my publisher to get permission to come here and do my job, permission was granted, and a hotel reservation was made. Why after coming all this way was I not informed? No phone call? Your office has my number. I understand that I am not in any way a top priority here, especially since there has been a dreadful accident, but this has been set in stone for weeks now and I refuse to believe that this could not have been handled better."

Ross was a little taken aback by the speech he had just witnessed and could instantly see why Cathy had been so enthralled. This visitor was American. Even at the best of times, Royston Vasey saw very little international travelers. On top of that, she must be someone of at least some importance if a letter of introduction was made and permission needed to be acquired, but for what?

Again his train of thought was interrupted by the growing animosity of the argument.

"I'm sorry but there is no other place to stay. As I've stated before, The Windermere is closed until further notice!" Each of Tomas' words had an emphasis to them as he was obviously trying not to start yelling.

" And there is no other inn or hotel? Not one?" she asked sounding more tired and despairing than angry at this point. It was becoming quite clear that she was on her last leg. "What I am I supposed to do? Camp out at the damn train station?"

Before he even realized what he was doing, Ross made his way over to the fighting pair stood adjacent to them "If I may…"

They both stopped and turned to look at him. He now had a clear view of the American's face as she regarded him with a look on mild curiosity and slight relief at small break she was getting in this ongoing bout.

"I don't mind hosting our guest for a while…" they both had varying looks of shock on their faces. "…at least until better accommodations can be made."

It took the visitor a few seconds to register what this savior had said before she smiled and sighed.

"Why Ross whatever are you doing here?" asked Tomas, completely oblivious as usual.

The more astute visitor rolled her eyes at the useless aide and turned again to Ross.

" Thank you for the offer, but no matter what you may have heard about American girls, I can assure you that _most_ of us do not go staying at the homes of complete strangers…." She smiled and held out her hand.

It took Ross a second, but he did get the hint.

"Oh! I am sorry, my name is Ross Gaines. I work for the city." He took her hand and received a surprisingly strong handshake from the visitor. It was odd though, women rarely initiated an introduction, which was typically left to the man, it was not anything sexist, just common courtesy. However, he quickly dismissed it. She was American after all.

"I'm Sarah Clarke, current events writer for the Chicago Tribune and occasional author."

Ross returned the smile, and then turned to Tomas.

"Would that be acceptable?"

"If our persistent friend here doesn't mind…." He turned to Sarah, "Ross is a fine, upstanding citizen and I would be more than comfortable with a foreign representative staying with him."

All what he said about Ross was true, but he could tell from Tomas' tone that, at this point, he would have said anything to get this insistent American writer out of his thinning hair.

"Well with that sterling recommendation, " Sarah said with a smirk, "I see no reason as to why I can't stay with you, Mr. Gaines. Are you sure that it won't be much trouble? I do need to stay for about a month."

This, Ross had not considered, hell, he did not even know what possessed him to step forward and offer his home in the first place, and for a _month?_ He suddenly realized that he was taking too long to respond and blurted,

"No, it won't be any trouble, besides the Windermere can't stay closed forever."

He was going to add more, but that beastly Cathy pulled him back to reality.

"_Mister Gaines,_ did you or did you not have business here today?"

"It's nothing that cannot wait Cathy." Ross replied through clenched teeth.

"Well then, if you don't mind, some of us are trying to work!" She practically split the foundation on her face in two as she made her quite hypocritical remark.

"I should be getting back to my day job as well." Tomas added then turned to Sarah, "If you won't be needing anything else, I'll be off."

It was a good thing that Sarah did not, in fact, need anything else, as the aide quickly scuffled away before she could reply.

With the departure of Tomas and Cathy on her lunch break (the job she needed to return to), Ross failed to notice that the American was observing him. It wasn't until she broke the silence that he turned back to face her.

"Thanks a heap. You have no idea how grateful I am. And you are sure you have plenty of space? Your wife won't mind?"

"No, you won't be any trouble. I have the room, and my wife is out of town, not that she would mind anyway."

"What was that?" Ross thought to himself. Why was he doing this? He didn't have enough room. Although he made plenty of money, he lived in a one bedroom flat. And his wife? What wife? He wasn't married. Why did he feel the need to lie to her? Of course he couldn't fess up now, she needed a place to stay and the last thing _he_ needed to do was to give this visiting writer any reason to distrust the man she would be staying with for an extended period of time.

"Well if you promise that I won't be a burden," she said with a look of exhausted thankfulness, " you can just give me your address now and I can take a cab to your home whenever it is most convenient for you. I'm sure you have a job you need to return to and I'm sure you don't want some stranger poking around your house unattended."

"I thought we were no longer strangers?" Ross said at an ill attempt at humor. To which he received an understanding nod in return. "And I could take you there now if you like, I'm on my lunch break and I'm sure you are eager to use some amenities."

Sarah laughed, "I would like that very much. I know I smell awful, but I'm sure I look worse."

Unsure how to respond, Ross dismissed the comment with a smile, and moved to grab one of the bags at her feet.

As they left the building, Ross took a second to notice how quiet the hall seemed as he and Sarah engaged in small talk. He also realized that he had Pauline's file still tucked under his arm.


	2. Chapter 2

**A.N.: Bit of a long one as I didn't really get to add one in on the first chapter (newbie mistake). ANYWAY there is really no good reason for the distance between uploads but I can try to explain. After the first chapter, my life kinda exploded work and school wise so I decided to put it off until summer. By summer, it got to the point where the story was a small blip in the back of my mind. I knew it was there but I just never got around to punching out more. ANYWAY AGAIN, small explanation for the story. I am honestly not a big fan of OCs when there are other characters in the respective universes who are simply better paired. In this case, I felt it was necessary. Poor Ross, by far my favorite character in LOG just caught all of the crap and I wanted to throw him a bone, or an American...which is what I am so please forgive any cultural mistakes, I watch quite a bit of BritTV but that doesn't make up for living the culture. Also, I bent over backwards to make everything fit in the story but there one or two continuity mistakes that might seep through. If they do feel free to tell me and I will see what I can do. **

**Last but not least, I promise I will shut up soon, I have a relatively light schedule this semester that should mean that I have no excuse to not post every week or every week and a half. If it seems like its getting off the handle again, anyone is welcome to send me a swift kick in the inbox to jog my memory and get me back on track. Read, review, enjoy, and please be kind, this is my first fic. **

**M for later chapters and language**

The ride back to Ross's flat could not have been more awkward. It had started off hopeful. After he helped Sarah put her bags in his trunk, they nearly ran into each other as they both made for the front right door. This had offered them a few laughs but once the car was in motion, they were at a loss of what to talk about. Instead they rode in relative silence each having a quiet reason not to talk. She was _far_ too engrossed in the surroundings as they drove through town, while he was _far _too preoccupied with the road in front of him.

He did, however, utilize her distraction to finally get to fully take in this Sarah Clarke. Her face, he recalled from before, was nothing extraordinary, in fact it was quite ordinary. It was round. Now that he thought about it, round was probably the only way he _could_ describe it. Everything about her face was round, not fat, just…round. Her cheeks were round, her thick rimmed, round glasses sat atop her round little nose in front of her round, blue eyes. A few tassels of hair fell around her face, which helped to define her round jaw line. Her ears, her eyebrows, her hairline, even her lips…not a one trait on her face bore a sharp edge. The overall combination of these traits gave her face a very pleasant look. He assumed, of course, right now, she looked a little worse for the wear.

Her mass of brown hair was pulled back into a loose bun that was slowly falling apart. Her eyes had dark circles under them from lack of sleep. Her face was a little greasy. Her clothes were disheveled from all the travel. And she did smell, it wasn't bad necessarily, she had obviously tried to cover it up with a sweet smelling lotion. But, it couldn't cover up the scent of musty airplane and train seats she had been sitting on for countless hours. Finally, after fully taking her in, Ross was able to turn his eyes back to the road. His timing, no matter how unintentional, was impeccable. For, as soon as he turned away from Sarah, she turned to him and attempted to break the silence.

"So what is it that you do for the city Mr. Gaines?"

"Well….I work for the Employment Office. We handle benefits for those unemployed and help them to find work."

"That sounds very…useful." Sarah replied after taking a second to pick the right words. "Do you enjoy what you do?"

It took Ross a second to think about his response. It wasn't a hard question, but something that he didn't ponder often

"No, I used to, but not anymore…"

"Not since Pauline", he added in his mind.

Sarah guessed that this was obviously a tender subject and wisely decided not to press the issue. Unfortunately, this returned the car to pure silence.

"…you know, you can call me Ross…" He offered, again rather boldly for his taste. What was wrong with him today?

"Will do." Sarah replied, throwing him a small smile.

"Why exactly are you in Vasey? If you don't mind my asking."

" It's sort of a passion project of mine that finally got green lit."

Ross looked at the writer with true confusion. What could possibly have gotten this young woman interested in the shit hole that was Royston Vasey?

The question must have been written all over his face as Sarah answered his unspoken question.

"I'm sure you recall that massive nosebleed epidemic several months ago…"

"…..ah… that…..I wasn't aware the epidemic was seismic enough to make international news.." Ross bit back the bitterness he felt on the subject.

"Are you kidding?!" Sarah lit up at a chance to explain her project, "Your town was in the news for weeks, I was so fascinated by it and grew even more so as the events progressed. I immediately went to my publisher about writing a book on your town and the epidemic. It took longer than I had hoped for to get permission, as well as funding, but everything was finally set in stone and I was allowed to travel out here to do research and collect first hand accounts on what happened. "

By her speech, Ross could already tell that she wasn't exaggerating when she referred to her novel as a "passion project". The idea of someone from the outside world finding anything remotely intriguing about Vasey caught him rather off guard, it even seemed a little funny. He assumed that as soon as she started interviewing the residents that she would come to his same point of view. As of right now, however, he didn't feel like squashing her enthusiasm. It had been a while since he had seen anything in the town that didn't have some sort of malice attached to it. Of course, by the time he reached this conclusion, Ross realized that the proper thing would be to respond to this writer, Sarah. She had seemed so eager and willing to open up about her work that it would be rude not to offer a response.

"Ahh…. How very interesting…" was all Ross could manage to blurt out as he couldn't think of what to say, let alone match her energy on the subject.

Sarah gave a knowing nod and turned to gaze back out the window, as the awkward level in the car simultaneously jumped a new, unbearable level. Thankfully, Ross soon turned onto his street and parked by his flat.

"Wow," Sarah offered as she walked into Ross' sterile abode. " Just wow."

"What?" Ross said quizzically.

"Your apartment, was not what I was expecting."

"Really?"

"yeah, so far all that I've seen in this town is of a very old fashioned style. Your place is so…."she paused as she roamed the small living area and open kitchen, "…so clean and modern… are you from around here?"

"…ah no, not originally." Ross wanted to say more but decided not to, this was a complete stranger after all, why did she need to know his whole life story?

Sarah did not press the subject further, from what she could gather, this was a very closed off man.

"Well, I should be getting back to work…"Ross said to the American's back as she took in his flat, "..feel free to use the shower, the kitchen, and whatever you want….the place is yours. There is a key under the third flower pot outside incase you want to go out and need back in, I'm not sure when I will be back, and don't want you getting locked out."

Ross could hear himself rambling and decided to just leave before he embarrassed himself further. Why was he so off today? Ross had always prided himself on being able to keep his cool under even the most extreme circumstances. He was eager to escape and get back in control. And he had almost made it out the door when he was stopped by the writer from America calling to him from his kitchen.

"Hey Ross!" he felt an odd feeling in his stomach as she said his name for the first time. "…..Thanks."

And with that, Sarah made her way to her suitcases as Ross left the little flat and headed back to his crap car in this crap town as he returned to his crap job.


	3. Chapter 3

AN- Chapter 3...let me know what you think!

Ross spent the rest of his workday doing menial tasks and running about town on ridiculous errands that he felt would be better suited to for an intern, as if his department could afford it. He hardly thought about the American writer currently roaming his flat. In fact, almost as soon as he returned to his office the visitor had almost completely left his mind. So, it came as a great shock to him when he returned home that night at half past to a wonderful smell seeping from under his door.

He burst in to find Ms. Clarke bent over a pot in his kitchen.

"Welcome home. Sorry to invade your space like this but I wanted to repay you for taking me in indefinitely. And I'm sure your wife won't mind that I'm using the kitchen as long as I clean up after myself." She smiled as she turned back to the stove.

"No…no I'm sure she won't mind…but with her being gone, you understand, there isn't much food…."

"Yeah I noticed," she laughed, with her back still facing him, "but I was able to make do, you sure live like a regular bachelor when she isn't here don't you?"

"Yes," Ross felt his stomach dip, fearful that she might catch on. "I'm quite helpless without her."

"And I also want to assure you that whatever food I used in your supply that I buy back ten-fold once I get my advance switched over to pounds."

"Please, you don't need to go through the trouble, what's mine is yours." Ross thanked his lucky stars that she was too focused on her cooking to notice the cringe in his face, 'That sounded just plain cheesy!' he thought to himself.

"That's good, cause I did make fair use of the shower you offered." She called over her shoulder as Ross quietly made his way to his bedroom. He hadn't realized that she would go in there, but then again, he did offer her the use of his facilities and he had only one shower. He should have thought to make sure his room was presentable before he returned to work. He entered his bathroom to freshen up before dinner, only to be confronted by a different smell. Not the garlic-y one originating from his kitchen, but a clean, crisp,…and very green smell. The air in his small bathroom was still a bit heavy from the obvious hot shower that Sarah had taken earlier and he could see that she had arranged her toiletries in an unused corner of his bathroom countertop. The body wash, he found out was the source of the "green" scent, eucalyptus and spearmint.

After running some cool water on his face, Ross made his way through the already darkening room, to sit down on his bed and think. This was one brazen woman. Already trouncing through his shower, cooking his food, and making herself quite at home. Ross knew that he would normally be a little peeved. He understood that he was a very private man and even the people he knew best at work could hardly be even considered acquaintances. If anyone of those people had even so much as set an un-wiped shoe onto his floor he would have probably blown his stack. So why was he not upset with her? Why was she even there? And how did he expect to get away with this little charade he had started for a month? Surely whenever that supper of hers was finished and they both sat down to eat, a conversation would eventually start up. There was now way that he could make it through a month of akward small talk. And she probably felt the same way. He would ask her questions then she would ask questions. What would he answer? Especially concerning the imminent topic of the vacationing wife he supposedly had.

All while Ross was musing, minutes ticked by, and by the time he heard a soft knock on his door, he realized that his was sitting silently in a pitch-black room.

"Awfully quite in here, I wasn't sure if you had fallen asleep or not." Sarah said as Ross leaned to the front of his bed to turn on a lamp.

"No, just came in to freshen up, and I guess I lost track of time."

"Well dinner is ready if your hungry at all." Her tone a little softer. She seemed wary, like she might be having second thoughts about living with a practical stranger for several weeks.

Ross sat down at the table as Sarah Clarke laid out a giant bowl of plain pasta in the center of the table.

"I left the sauce off, just in case." She smiled as she brought over a second smaller bowl and placed it on the table next to the main dish. "It's sort of a slap-dash pesto."

Ross allowed her to pile a hefty portion onto his plate and watched as she ladled a medium spoonful of a greenish, translucent "pesto" over her noodles and began tossing them to coat. He quickly did the same.

"This is amazing, really, how did you manage this with what there was in the pantry?"

"Please, with enough olive oil, butter, and the right spices, I could have you eating my laptop." Sarah smiled as she flushed just a little. "So, tell me, where is your wife vacationing at? I've traveled quite a bit but England is sort of the 'end all be all' for me. And I would love to know where people from here prefer to travel."

This was it, why didn't he think of an answer while he was mulling over this earlier? He quickly pulled a spot right out of his ass.

"She's in Australia… some small town outside of Brisbane. Her sister is with child and needs all the help she can get before the baby comes." Ross was honestly surprised with how well that sounded and how quick he was to come up with it. Sarah gave a small smile but, was a little taken aback.

"That's wonderful. I went Australia once, but that was back when I was in school. Is she a native herself? How long has she been out there? When is the baby due?"

Ross couldn't stammer out an answer. She had cut him right to the quick with her questions and he was a little mad at himself that he couldn't come up with anything as easily as he had before. Thankfully, Sarah caught herself and quickly apologized.

"I'm sorry, writing and investigating is what I do best. I'm not jotting anything down, so I'm shooting out questions a mile a minute."

"No, no, it's perfectly alright. It's just that, well, I….my wife and I aren't much talkers."

"Shoot, I've gone and offended you haven't I, I'm sorry, I really am."

"No, you are fine, it's just that, I'm not used to it much at all so I may not be able to keep up with you as easy but I can try, especially if we are going to be living together." Now why did he say it like that? So odd and suggesting, definitely poor word choice on his part.

At first, Sarah was a little confused at his wording as well, but she seemed to quickly pick up that it was a mistake on his part and moved on like nothing had happened.

"OK well if you don't mind my talking, you asked for it. Just let me know if you want me to slow down at all, us northerners have been known to speak alarmingly fast, especially when we are on a tangent."

The rest of dinner went rather smoothly, all things considering. Conversations between the two eventually lead to humorous stories and they both found themselves laughing at different points. Eventually, Sarah moved to collect the dishes and brought them over to the sink to wash them.

"You don't have to do that Ms. Clarke, you have done enough already."

"_Please_ call me Sarah, and once again, this is me thanking you for providing me your home. It's the least I can do."

Ross was a least able to get her to allow him to help dry the dishes and put them away. They didn't notice the hour until they had finished the chore.

"It's 10! When did that happen?" Ross exclaimed in mild shock. Normally he had dinner finished by 7, and was in bed by 9:30.

"Well, you know what they say, 'time flies' and all that…" the last of her words eaten up by a sudden yawn. Ross realized that given all of her traveling, she had probably not gotten a solid amount of sleep in days. Indeed, she still had dark circles under her eyes, and had been stifling yawns throughout dinner.

" Well, I'm sure you will be wanting to get to bed soon…" Ross said out loud but it was mainly to himself. He hadn't given any thought about where she was going to sleep. His flat had two possibilities, his bed….or his couch. He quickly decided that it would only be proper for him to offer her the bed.

"Right, come this way and I will get you set up for the night."

Sarah grabbed the luggage that she had left in a row in the hall and followed Ross into his bedroom.

"Here we go, this should be more than comfortable for you, now if you'll just excuse me, I'll get ready for bed then get out of your hair." Ross quickly retreated into his bathroom to change into his nightclothes and brush his teeth. He could hear zips and shuffling coming from the other side of the door and could only assume that Sarah was preparing for bed herself in the room. Why not wait for the bathroom? He could walk out at any point in time and she could still be changing. He honestly didn't understand these Americans at all.

While he was still doing his pre-bed routine in the bathroom, Sarah knocked on the door, "hey, what side of the bed do you sleep on?"

Odd question, "The, uh… right side…." Ross had to think for a moment, not that he was lying about that, he did sleep on that side, but he never gave it much thought, and why did she want to know?

When he came out of the bathroom he saw that she was sitting on the left side, pulling her hair into a long, lose braid. He let her know that the bathroom was free and headed out to the living room as she entered the bathroom. About five minutes later he caught her silhouette in his doorframe as he was putting some spare blankets on the couch. He turned to face her and got a full view of her in her pajamas. She was dressed in an odd combination of boxer shorts and an oversized T-shirt, and her braid was hanging over her shoulder as she leaned against the frame.

"What are you doing?" She asked with a bemused look on her face.

"Getting ready for bed?" he couldn't help but wonder what was going on, it was quite obvious what he was doing.

"I can see that, but why out here?" she said with a chuckle.

"There is only one bedroom, so I am left with limited options." He was still not quite sure what she was getting at.

"You can't sleep on that couch, I won't have it! It's damned uncomfortable and you have a job to go to in the morning. Come and sleep in the bed."

"Well where will you sleep? The couch? As you stated, it's uncomfortable…"

"So you know it's hard as a rock, shame on you for not warning me, " she chuckled," I tried to get a nap in earlier but couldn't sleep a wink, and I'm behind on sleep by two days! That's why I'm sleeping in the bed as well."

"You…you want _both_ of us to sleep in the bed?" Ross asked incredulously.

"Yes, I don't know if you noticed, but you have a king-size bed, _and_ a memory foam mattress. There is plenty of room and as long as we stay on our respective sides, no one needs to be aware of the other's presence."

It was honestly, a sound argument. And Ross couldn't disagree. Yes, he had bought himself a king-sized bed, but that was really just because he could, and the mattress? Well that was supposed to be a little treat for himself. But still, he was having a hard time getting over the fact that this woman, whom he had scarcely known for half a day, was inviting him to sleep with her (or rather occupy the same sleeping space as her).

Upon taking in his silence, Sarah rolled her eyes and smiled. "Well, I'll be in here passed out on the _left_ side of your _enormous_ bed. If you feel like getting some actual sleep tonight, the door is open."

With that, Sarah turned on her heel and retreated into the bedroom. Ross sat on the couch pondering the offer for a few minutes before getting up, turning off the light, and climbing into the same bed as the American writer, Sarah Clarke, who was already sleeping soundly on her side of the bed.


	4. Chapter 4

A.N. wow! a short-ish chapter, i even surprise myself sometimes. I honestly wanted to keep going, but this seemed like the logical closing point for the chapter and i didn't have the energy to start a new on tonight.

Ross woke the next morning with a start when he rolled over in bed and came face to face with another person.

'Oh right.' Ross thought to himself as he recalled the previous night. Damn! This was the second time he forgot. But then again, this was all new to him. Unlike the errant lies he was feeding his guest stated, Ross led a very solitary existence. It was very much like an old habit for him. Not that he really preferred it, but after so many years it just became the comfortable norm to him.

Throughout his musings Ross slowly began to realize that he was staring at the foreigner sleeping on the other side of the bed. Thankfully, she was toofar-gone to rouse and notice his rudeness. He quietly rolled to the edge of the bed and went to go get ready for the day.

By the time he made it out of the bedroom, he noticed that Sarah had woken by the neatly made bed. He found her in the kitchen still in her pajamas, making tea.

"I have coffee somewhere if you would prefer that." Ross offered.

"Nah, I'm actually not that big a fan of coffee. Never really liked the taste. I'm making enough for us both, if you would care for a cup."

"Yes, I would…thank you." Ross managed as he sat down at the table and purposely avoided staring at Sarah. It was starting to become a bad habit that needed to be stopped early on.

"How do you take it?" she called over her shoulder as his pot began to whistle.

"With just a little milk if you don't mind."

"Ugh, that I just don't understand," the writer said as she brought two steaming mugs to the table, " to me, tea just has a very clean-cut taste, and to taint it with milk, yuck!" she twisted her round face into a comical knot. "You might as well be drinking coffee!"

Ross suppressed a smile at her little outburst as she brought the milk along with a lemon wedge to the table.

"You know, some teas are supposed to be drunk with milk…"

"It's no use trying to reason with me. You'll find out rather quickly that I am quite stubborn." She turned her profile to him, in feign anger and thrust her nose into the air.

"So I gathered." Ross smiled as he began to work at his tea. "So what are you doing today?"

"Well, " she began as she crushed the lemon wedge into her drink with her spoon. "I have to go and get my money converted, first thing, then, I need to go back to the Town Hall to meet with the mayor about getting advertisements put up around Royston Vasey."

"Advertisements?"

"Yeah, I need to start conducting interviews as soon as possible with as many of the local eye witnesses. I want to get lots of first hand accounts of the Nose Bleed epidemic, all if possible. I know that the government is going to be sending over all of the civic employees, and then we will be putting up fliers to get the rest of the citizens." She paused to take a breath. "Hey, that means I'll get to interview you as well right? What do you say? Want to be my first eye witness interview?"

Ross stiffened, mug halfway to his mouth. "No, I'm sorry, but I'm afraid that I won't be of any help in that regard…I…I wasn't here…I mean, I didn't really witness the break out…" his voice had gotten suddenly low.

Sarah saw the change in Ross's mood and made to move away from the subject.

"Well, there I went yammering again, you really should stop me when I get going on like that," She rose from here chair. "I won't keep you any longer, I need to start getting ready then call the taxi service to take me into town, and I'm sure that you need to be heading off to work."

With that, Sarah disappeared into Ross's bedroom and left him to his tea and thoughts.

After a few quiet minutes spent drinking his tea, Ross brought his empty mug to the sink and made his way out the door and to his car. There, he noticed something sticking out from between the passenger seat and the door, Pauline's file. He quickly pulled it out and glared at it for a few seconds before angrily banishing it to the back seat. That lesbian she-cow was the _last_ person he wanted to think about right now. That, and the whole nosebleed thing.

The break out had certainly affected him, but not in the same way as it did everyone else in this miserable little town. Any mention of it at all immediately resonated in him and it took months and months to train himself not to betray his emotions whenever it came up in conversation. But now, he was living with someone writing a book on the event, he certainly didn't think of this when he offered his flat to her yesterday. Well, maybe it was for the best. Maybe this whole thing would be just what he needed to get over it all…

"Yeah, right." Ross said out loud as he drove down the main street and the first few drops of rain began to hit his windshield.


	5. Chapter 5

A.N.- Sorry this one took a while. I went home last weekend to check on the family unit and spent most of this week trying to catch back up on school work because of it. Also, you may notice, this chapter has sections because it is three small-ish chapters that really didn't need to be prolonged and published separately... which is good for you guys because (not to give away too much) in the next chapter or so, we _may_ get to see why I put this story as an "M"...just saying... read, review, enjoy!

It took a while but sure enough, after three hours of staring at his computer screen, Ross got an email from his supervisor telling him to sign up for an interview time with the writer. By the time Ross left for lunch, he found that he couldn't turn a street corner without seeing a notice to about the writer and contact information for meetings. Apparently, they were going to be starting as soon as the next day.

Ross was quite surprised at the speed of which the mayor's office was working at this, but then again, it wasn't too shocking when he really thought about it. They obviously couldn't match the passion Sarah had for the project, but with all of the disasters that were occurring in Vasey, the towns coffers would be running quite low. He was sure that they were only being so gracious because this book would mean positive attention for the town, attention would bring tourists, and tourists would bring money.

Of course all of the residents would be only too happy to oblige and agree to an interview. To them, it would be their fifteen minutes of fame. Ross shuddered as he made his way down the street to the newly opened hot dog van for his lunch. The rain that started that morning, gave way to a dreary, cold mist that just seemed to leave everything in a constant freezing dampness. This was just another lovely summer day in Royston Vasey. As he stood in line, Ross debated on whether or not he should warn Sarah about what would be awaiting her tomorrow when she began her interviewing process. He was full aware that he was probably one of the six or seven sane people who lived here. And most, if not all, of what happened in Vasey was the direct result of a crazed resident. Sarah Clarke had only scratched the surface. Hell, the nosebleed incident was just one in a series of outlandish things that seemed to happen on a bi-monthly basis.

As Ross ate his lunch on his trudge back to his office, another thought occurred to him that lightly turned his stomach, although he wasn't sure why. What if Sarah decided to not write her book and left? What if after just speaking to a small percent of the Vasey-ans she got cold feet and ran? Again Ross had to ask himself, why did he care? He noticed that he was repeating that question to himself quite a bit. He couldn't answer he internal questions but decided that it would behoove everyone if she stayed and would give her fair warning over dinner that night. With that thought, he round the corner to his building and started to wipe off the layers of mist that were collecting all over him.

On his way home, Ross picked up his usual Tuesday night dinner and made sure to get a double order to accommodate Sarah. He had to admit to himself that he was a little apprehensive when he went to the take-out place that he had been frequenting for years and ordered something, anything different than his usual. What would they think? Sure they didn't know him all that well, but a long time regular who has ordered nothing but the same items for years, is bound to bring notice when he orders something new out of the blue. Deep down, Ross still did not like calling attention to himself. But his doubts instantly evaporated when he corrected the man behind the counter and asked for double. As anticipated, he received several strange looks, but that only seemed to stir something in him akin to pride. Why yes, he was quite sure that he was ordering two of everything. No, he just had company is all.

Ross was pleased that he didn't really care that he was going to be the subject of the restaurant's conversations that night, he had a hot date, which was more than any of _them_ had. Sure, it wasn't true, but they didn't know that. Ross found himself smiling as he grabbed his order and strode out the door to his car.

"Awesome! I love Chinese take out"

Ross was nearly attacked before he made it to the kitchen. In one swift motion, Sarah had jumped off the couch and whisked the box of take out bags from his arms and brought them to the counter.

As she began to empty the box of it's various take-out containers, Ross muddled over how to inform, or warn, Sarah about her days to come.

"So, I see the notifications went up today. City Hall didn't waste much time did they?"

"No, I was actually surprised to see that the fliers were ready by the time I made it there this morning. I have been up and down this all day, pinning papers to poles and posts. Are there any chopsticks in here?"

"No, I have my own set. I don't like the ones from the restaurants, I always seem to get splinters." Ross stated as he made his way over to his silverware drawer and pulled out his single set of sticks. 'Shit!' He forgot that he only had one pair. He had only ever needed one pair. He quickly handed them to Sarah without a word, hoping she wouldn't notice.

Once they had divided up the boxes, the pair fell into surprisingly easy conversation. Sarah asked Ross about his day, he answered then returned the question, and so forth, until the food was gone. All while they were talking, however, Ross muddled over how to bring up the topic of the interviews. It really should not have been that hard of a task, but Ross kept over thinking it and kept putting it off.

He put it off when they were tidying up the boxes and napkins. He put it off when she decided to get some preliminary writing done before bed. And He put it off when she went to shower and get her things ready for the next day.

Before he realized it, Ross was done in the "green" smelling bathroom after Sarah and was heading towards the already half occupied bed. He had been procrastinating the whole night and was getting dangerously close to missing his last opportunity here. Sarah, while Ross was in the bathroom, had crawled into her side of the shared bed and occupied herself with some light reading until he emerged.

Ross didn't know how to start off but he was rapidly running out of time, Sarah's yawns were getting more and more frequent and who knows how long it would be before she decided to shut her book and call it a night. He took a quick breath and went for it.

"So, your interviews start tomorrow…" Ross started off casually as he climbed into bed next to Sarah.

"They sure do, my first is at…9? Not quite sure, but I'll check in the morning." Sarah replied with a smile and a quick glance up from her book.

"Well, I'm not sure how to tell you this but, do you know what you are getting into with all of this?"

The question seemed to give Sarah pause as she slowly shut her book and shifted on her side to face Ross, her face was a little severe, the first he had seen it that way. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, how do I put this? How much contact have you had with the locals? Outside of city hall that is."

She kept a steady gaze on him as she responded. "Not much…. why?"

"…Well, it's just that…the people in this town seem to border on…the eccentric, shall we say…" Sarah raised an eyebrow, waiting for more. "…I'm trying to be as polite as possible but, honestly, the vast majority of the people in this town are insane! I mean this nosebleed tragedy is just the tip of the iceberg. I mean the whole thing started because our local butcher was trafficking some mysterious meat for God sakes! Medicine didn't arrive in time because a couple of crazed shop owners on the outskirts of town commandeered the vehicle transporting it and who knows what happened to the drivers. A mob of people attacked the mayor during the whole incident because he brought in a couple of bad educational actors…"

Ross meant to go on, now that he seemed to open a spigot he didn't even realize was there, but he was stopped by the sound of Sarah rolling on the bed in laughter.

"I'm sorry," she said after she had finished and was trying to catch her breath. "I'm soo sorry, I know I'm not supposed to be finding this funny…but I had the wrong idea in my head when you asked me if I was prepared…"

"How do you mean?" Ross asked, quite confused.

"I thought you were insulting my intelligence or my judgment, I didn't realize that you were trying to warn me about this village of "crazy people" that I have apparently wandered into!"

Ross understood but still felt that she wasn't getting the message. "Yes, that's funny and all, but I hope that you take me seriously when I tell you about the people you will be encountering tomorrow….I don't want you getting scared off…"

"Awww, I didn't know you cared…" Sarah said in a sweet voice with a giggle, teetering between sarcasm and sincerity.

Ross stayed firm and held his stance. Sarah sensed his concern and got a little more serious.

"You don't need to worry about me. Believe me, I can handle crazy. My dad's whole side of the family is mountain people." She smirked "But thanks for letting me know, I'll be sure to have my guard up."

And with that, she winked, turned off the lamp on her side of the bed, and went to sleep. Ross, much relieved at her response, followed her example by turning off his light, and lying down. What was he worried about? Of course she would be able to handle herself with these people, she was one of those "spitfire" Americans he saw on TV. She seemed to have the right sense of humour, that "let everything slide" attitude that would get her through all she was going to encounter in the next couple of weeks. Ross smiled to himself as he relaxed into his pillow. He wasn't sure, but he had a feeling that the slow, steady pace of the American's breathing, at such a close proximity, was helping him to drift off to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

A.N. - I honestly didn't think this chapter would stretch out the way it did, but to be fair, the whole "restaurant scene" was one of the initial scenes that I had written out in my head when I first thought of this story so I wanted it to be perfect. Then one thing lead to another and I ended up with 10 pages. God can I get wordy or what? Anyway, instead of making one looonnnggg chapter I decided to split them in two, then I decided to wait until I had finished them both to upload them (just be glad I love the 6 or so of you that read this), because I hate cliff hangers and As you can tell by the end of this chapter, the wait would have been unbearable so ...you're welcome...

The remainder of the week was spent in a pretty normal routine. Once Ross got used to it. His alarm would go off at a quarter to 7. He would get up, shower, and dress for the day. Per his almost methodical nature, he would be done by a quarter after. Sarah, in the mean time, would get breakfast going for the two of them while she waited for the bathroom to open up, then get ready after. He had offered her first use of the facilities, but she would hear none of it, as he was the one who had to be at his office at an earlier time. Besides, she insisted that he needed breakfast on a regular basis, because a quick thermos of tea in the morning "wasn't healthy for a growing boy!" He would eat, while she got ready and would leave the flat by 7:30. It only took fifteen minutes or so to get to his office, but he liked to be early. As for Sarah, he wasn't sure at all what time she left, but she always seemed to make her way back to his flat before him in the evening with a fresh armful of groceries.

Sometimes it was for dinner, sometimes it was for breakfast, either way, she never stocked up on anything except for what she called, "the essentials." She claimed that cooking was a de-stressor for her and that she hoped he wouldn't mind if she cooked, as he didn't seem to do it much. Of course, Ross agreed, though it did make him feel a little uncomfortable. He was still trying to wrap his head around the idea of sharing his space with someone else, never mind the fact that she was systematically invading his home life.

The bed was starting to adopt her scent, the bathroom had already from her first day, her things were laid out on her side of the room, only after asking first. The kitchen, was kept constantly filled with scents, sights, and sounds, as the only time he was near it was either while she was cooking or after.

She never made a mess though, and even when she did, she was quick about cleaning it up. The first day on the interviews, Ross entered his flat in time to see Ms. Sarah Clarke in action. She was preparing some kind of Steak dinner in the oven with several sides. Ross marveled as she dashed from the marinade to stir a boiling pot, then whisk some soiled dishes to the sink, and move on to a different task. It seemed almost like a dance, she never kept stationary, and every move she made was swift and deliberate. Ross could easily see how she would cook to "de-frag" (as she put it) after a stressful day. And by the time the meal was served, there was hardly a dirty dish to be found. When they retired for the night, the only evidence left of the sumptuous meal was the lingering scent in the kitchen. Which was how it was every night after.

The more Ross thought about it though, the more he realized that he didn't mind. Sarah seemed to know instinctively how to insert herself into his life without ruffling too many feathers. Her clothes were always neatly folded and kept with the rest of her things. And her scent, that "green" smell, that was permeating his bedroom and bathroom, was quite relaxing. This was further reaffirmed upon closer inspection of her products during his morning shower.

It was perhaps after spending the week mulling over these thoughts, that Ross finally worked up the nerve to ask Sarah out to dinner, as a host showing a guest about town, strictly speaking.

On Saturday Ross left his duties an hour early, hoping to circumvent Sarah before she started on dinner. His timing turned out to be impeccable, as he spotted Bab's cab pulling out of his driveway just as he was pulling up. He entered the flat just in time to help Sarah with her arms full of brown grocer's bags.

"Wow, you're home early today!" she stated with an out of breath smile as she handed a bag over to Ross' open arm.

"Yes, well, I don't work full hours on Saturday's. I do have a weekend to get to. How where you're interviews today?"

"Exhausting…" she unloaded the rest of the bags on the counter then collapsed into the nearest chair. "But I did get a lot done, of course it was mainly in notes and direct quotes here and there, so I have a bit of elaborating to do tonight and tomorrow, and bonus, I seem to still be getting over the jetlag…"

"I figured you might be tired so I thought…eh-hem…, why not take a night off from cooking and go out to eat? Unless, of course, you will be too busy that is…"

Sarah sat up a bit in the chair and meet Ross's wariness with glee. "I would love to go out tonight. I have been dying to see more of Royston Vasey and would definitely like to try something other than the sandwich cart."

"Are you sure you won't be too tired to go out? You look as though you could pass out in that chair. We can always make it tomorrow night."

"No, no, I need this. I have been getting restless spending every night in. But you are right, I'm beat."

"See? I will make reservations for tomorrow night then." Ross smiled as he hid his, rather confusing, disappointment.

"You will do no such thing! We are going out to eat tonight! I'm just going to take a power nap for an hour or so first. Would that be acceptable?"

"Whatever you prefer. You are the guest. Go ahead and take a nap, I will make the reservations for 8."

"That's better." Sarah smirked, satisfied that she won. " I'll be up and ready to go by 7:30." And with that, Sarah hopped out of the kitchen chair and disappeared into their bedroom, turning off the light, and shutting the door.

Ross could hardly contain the butterflies that had suddenly appeared in his stomach. He wasn't sure why, but he could not have been happier that Sarah had insisted on going out. He quickly pulled out his mobile and booked a table for two at Luigi's

At 7:30 sharp, Sarah emerged from the room refreshed and dressed for the evening. Ross was completely caught off guard by her when she appeared before his reclined figure on the couch. She was dressed up! Not overly fancy, just for a nice dinner, but he was a little taken aback nonetheless. Every time he saw her in the morning, she was in her pajamas; he always left before she got ready. And by the time he got home in the evening, she had already shed her business clothes in favor of jeans. Now, she appeared to him in a knee-length, black cotton dress with white spots. Her heels where low and black, and in her arm she held a small yellow clutch and some sort of lite blazer. Her hair was done up in a messy bun, with her bangs pinned up in a semi- victory roll. What got him the most was her makeup. He was actually surprised that she could apply it with sense, unlike those trollops, Cathy and Pauline, who preferred to cake on foundation and eye shadow until they looked like Halloween masks. Sarah had applied a minimal amount purely to enhance her features. Her cheeks were given a little more definition; the color around her eyes made those blue-grey orbs pop, and her lipstick was bright red. A color that would normally have been too much, but she made it work, it rounded her already round lips even more, and the shade was perfectly offset by the blacks that she was wearing. The overall effect took her plain prettiness and made her…well, beautiful.

Of course, Ross realized that he was staring, again. This time, however, he was not as lucky, and got caught.

"Drinkin' it in I see." Sarah said with a bit of a mocking smile as she did a runway turn.

Ross couldn't pull together words fast enough, he was too embarrassed by being caught to come up with an explanation.

"Ross….it's OK, I'm just giving you a hard time. I don't want to make your ears any redder than they already are. You ready to go? Or do you want to change first?"

Ross could only nod, he really wasn't used to public shame, even if it was in private.

"So…I'll take that as a 'Yes I'm ready, shall I drive then?'" she did her best bad impersonation of his voice.

"Yes, yes, let's go, I need some food."

"I couldn't agree more." Sarah put on her blazer and allowed Ross to rush ahead of her and open the door.

While driving in the car, heading towards Luigi's, Sarah did her best to get Ross out of the little funk she had put him in with her teasing. She told him about the various characters she had encountered throughout the week, and he eventually opened up a little to comment on some of them. He was quite pleased to be able to talk to someone about the crazy denizens of Royston Vasey. Living there, he was constantly surrounded by them, with no outlet. Talking with Sarah was starting to put him more and more at ease, he might even be able to enjoy tonight, and he honestly hadn't expected to. Not that Sarah was bad company, not by any means. In fact, she seemed to be the only person he enjoyed being around for any extended period of time. No, he was fully expecting to feel nervous and awkward the whole night, thus marring the dinner as a whole. Now that he was thinking about it, and talking casually with Sarah, there was nothing to be apprehensive about. This would be just like one of their meals in his flat, not a date, no.

By the time the reached the restaurant, Ross was in high spirits. Sarah was going to make a quick trip to the "Ladies" while he got their table. All was smooth sailing….until he spotted the iceberg.

"Why Ross….what ever are _you_ doing here? Shouldn't you be enjoying your nightly pot noddle in front of your widescreen?"

"Hi Ross!"

He felt his ears getting hot again. "Hi Mickey…..Hello…Pauline."

Pauline sat a bit higher in her chair, puffed out her lips and made a big show of holding Mickey's hand. Oh how Ross wanted to claw that smug look and shit-eating grin off of her manly, makeup caked face. But Ross had more control then that, all of his malice and hatred towards this woman could only be seen through his icy glare. Mickey, the poor idiot, was completely oblivious of what unspoken animosity that was going on right before him and was making conversation with that dim grin on his face. Mickey, by default, was one of Ross's friends. Ross really didn't dislike him, he actually felt for the man-child in a kind of "big brother" way. And, the beauty was that they never really saw much of each other socially, so there was little chance that he would get truly peeved with him. Mickey could be quite grating in large doses. The added bonus was limited interaction with Mickey meant limited interaction with Pauline.

And boy was she loving _this_. She never missed an opportunity to flaunt her dimwitted fiancé in front of Ross. She was obviously forgetting that he still held her freedom in his hands, or in the backseat of his car anyway. He could, at any point in time, turn in her file and have her fat ass sent right back to the clit Klink.

"Do you want to eat with us Ross?" Mickey asked with his big childlike grin.

"Yesss Ross, why don't you join us?" Pauline added," We would _hate_ the idea of you eating _alone,_ while we are over here deep in conversation and enjoying each other's company…."

That was it, Ross was two ticks away from calling the authorities, but he was stopped by Sarah calling over to him.

"Where have you been?" she smiled as she made her way over to him. He was about to reply when he was stopped dead in his tracks by Sarah taking hold of his face and pulling him in for a chaste, but extended kiss on the mouth. "Dear, I thought you were getting our table. Oh! Hello Pauline."

She turned to face the couple sitting at the table as if she had only just now noticed them. Ross, completely thrown off of his kilter, tried his best to act natural while simultaneously trying to control the tingles going down his spine.

Pauline, in the meantime, forced a smile and made genuinely polite conversation with Sarah while trying to wrap her head around what she just witnessed.

"And this must be Mickey, I've heard so much about you…"

Ross could or would only hear half of the conversation going on before him. Once he regained control of himself, he couldn't help but throw that self-righteous attitude right back in Pauline's face. He cracked a smirk and wrapped his arm around Sarah's waist.

"Well….we don't want to be keeping you two from your meal…See you around Ms. Clarke…..Ross…." Pauline could barely keep her face composed while Mickey shook his head up and down in a wild affirmation.

"Yes! We should definitely get dinner together sometime. I would love to cook for you all." Sarah said as she placed her hand ever so gently on Ross's shoulder. "Have a wonderful evening"

And with that they turned and made their way to their table as if they had scripted the encounter scene by scene.


	7. Chapter 7

A.N. - here it is folks, all that patience and waiting has finally paid off, which is why i decided to give you guys a little treat and not make you wait any longer...who needs sleep anyway...Read, review, and enjoy

"I hope you don't mind my interjecting back there, you looked like you needed a little help." Sarah offered once they had sat down at the table.

"How? How did you do that?" It was all Ross could think to ask. Once they left Pauline and Mickey's presence, the excitement of it all hit him again.

"I can tell you…" She leaned forward sensually and placed her hand over his. Ross's breath hitched in confusion until Sarah jerked her head to the side slightly, calling his attention to Pauline doing her best to nonchalantly spy on them. Ross picked up quickly and leant in as well.

"….I have two advantages working for me.." she said in a whisper, purposely making it look as though they were sharing intimate secrets. "The first being, I'm a woman and I can spot another woman's "game" a mile away." She smiled a coy smile and leant back into her seat.

"The second advantage is my nationality….Being an American abroad gives me certain…allowances. I am well aware of the social norms in this country, but you Brits seem to think that we are all rather ignorant. Therefore, I can knowingly break your 'standards' and then get away with it Scott free by being one of 'those Americans.'"

Ross was flabbergasted. Of course! It had even fooled him! It was absolute genius using her stereotype to her advantage. She was in the game, and his respect for her jumped up about ten notches.

"How do you know Pauline?" Ross said, still reeling in pure fascination of this increasingly attractive creature.

"She was one of the citizens I interviewed. She didn't have much to say about the epidemic, but we talked for quite a bit. And boy, does she _hate _you!"

"You guys talked about me?" Ross was a little weary of what Pauline might have told her.

"She did a lot of the talking, we were discussing her wedding plans, then somehow your name came up, quite out of nowhere."

"What did she say?"

"A few choice words, nothing else. But I could tell by her tone that she does not care for you one bit. Whatever you guys did to piss each other off, remind me not to do it."

Ross eased back in his chair, relieved. He was nowhere near ready to talk about his experience with Pauline, to anyone, including Sarah.

They continued to talk and made a big show of dinner all the way up until Pauline got flustered and left in a huff with Mickey. She couldn't escape the restaurant without Sarah craning her neck and calling a loud goodbye to her from across the tables. This was met with a forced farewell and a few quick glares from the other people around the room. Sarah smiled and returned to her food while Ross sunk down in his chair turning a light shade of pink.

"You really have no shame do you?"

"Hmmm….no, can't say that I have. And come on, I couldn't just let her leave without one last shot. I mean did you see her face? It was turning so purple I thought it would pop!"

Ross couldn't help but laugh at the thought, he did dare to steal a glance at Pauline as she left, and quite agreed with her. It was actually the main topic of discussion throughout the rest of the dinner, a topic that kept sending them into fits of laughter. Ross was eternally relieved that Sarah was on his side. He had to admit to himself that he had a nagging feeling in the back of his head all week that she would encounter Pauline and "things" would come out. This weight was instantly lifted at the table and Ross was glad that Sarah could be just as underhanded as he could.

"So do you even like Pauline?" Ross asked at while they were waiting for their desserts.

"Of course, I do. Hell, after our talk, I even got invited to her wedding in a couple of months. Don't think I'll be able to make it, but I told her that I would try."

"So why? Why put on that whole scene with me?"

"I told you, I wasn't in the bathroom all that long and could see you just floundering over there. I couldn't just let you drown." Sarah offered up a sympathetic smile as she turned to greet Luigi as he brought them their desserts.

"But you're friends with her." Ross was quite confused.

"You don't understand women all that well do you? We pull this stuff on each other all the time; we are quite a vindictive breed. Actually, I think I got off easily because, for all she knows, I have no idea what is going on between you two and this is just a coincidence, our 'being together.' She doesn't even know that I'm staying at your place."

"Imagine what she would think if she knew that we were sharing the bed." Ross said as he half contemplated informing Pauline of the fact. This sent them both into another round of laughter.

Eventually, they had finished their meals and decided that it was high time to head out. They didn't realize when they went out that night that there was a bit of a street fair going on. Not that they really cared, they were both ready to head back to the flat. It only affected them because a photographer had spotted a jovial couple leaving the Italian eatery and offered to take their picture, to which they heartily agreed. They were both laughing and enjoying each other's company so much that when the picture was taken, they were sure that they were too distracted to be facing the camera. Ross wasn't too keen on paying for a picture that was most assuredly messed up but Sarah disagreed.

"Don't be such a poop. Just because we weren't facing the guy doesn't mean it's a bad photo." She claimed the ticket from the guy and was informed that she could claim it next week. "If you don't want a copy, then I'll just keep it for myself. I love pictures, they are such a good way to remember things."

The car ride back to Ross's flat was uneventful and rather short as Sarah entertained Ross with humorous stories from her childhood and numerous, wacky, relatives. At length, they found themselves in bed occupied with various tasks, and Ross decided to address a nagging feeling that had been growing in his stomach all night.

"Um, Sarah?" Ross said quietly as he set the files he had been looking over down on the bed.

"Yes, dear?" She said with a sarcastic grin, hardly looking up from her book.

"May I ask, why did you…k-kiss me?"

Sarah gently shut her book and turned on her side to face him. "I already to you. You looked like you needed a hand."

"That's my point though, you could have just come over and held my hand, or given me a quick peck on my cheek… but you didn't. Why?"

Sarah leaned in dangerously close to Ross and whispered, "Because I like you." She leaned back a bit and gave a little smile.

Ross couldn't think straight, she liked him…what? WHAT? He tried to move his lips and force a response, but nothing came out. Sarah threw him a mildly disappointed look.

"Don't you like me? I was almost certain you did…"

"…whh…aahhh…..w-well"

Thankfully Sarah was quite adept at reading his face and began to softly kiss around his face, starting at his ear than making her way around.

"But…but…what?"

"'But…but…what?' your 'wife'?" She said between kisses. "That wife that doesn't exist?"

Ross was loosing his breath now. "Did Pauline tell you?" his voice hitching with each soft kiss.

"You really bought into that 'stupid American' bit didn't you?" She pulled away and gave him a condescending look. I had my suspicions right from the beginning." She started to kiss him softly again, this time on his shoulder.

"What…what gave it away?..." was all Ross could manage to say.

"I'll list them off for you shall I? For starters…."without stopping, she raised his left hand, "no ring. Also, you invited me to stay. A married man doesn't typically invite female strangers over to their house when their wives are gone."

Ross had never felt so wonderful and stupid at the same time in his life. And she kept going.

"Next thing I noticed, no pictures. Married couples usually have at least a few photos lying around. Also, I noticed your address book in the den. It was quite empty, well except for your mother's number…" She gave him a sad look and leaned back up to give him a sympathetic kiss on the corner of his mouth. "May have also noticed, that your 'wife' has not been brought up in conversation all week. I stopped mentioning her, and so did you."

She had run out of exposed shoulder and slowly started to unbutton his red satin pajama shirt to start exploring his chest. Ross could only sit there, hardly breathing and unable to move.

"And finally, this is the most important. Are you listening?" she pulled back once again, gently held his face in one hand, and forced him to look at her. "A decent married man never, and I mean Never, allows another female into his bed."

She suddenly got up and straddled him, mostly to catch his shocked gaze, mostly. She bent closer and closer to his face, "Ross, it's okay…"

He wasn't sure why, but that brief affirmation snapped his brain back to consciousness and found that his body was actually starting to respond to the thoughts he was sending out. He finally turned to look at her.

"But why me?" Ross was flabbergasted with himself. Yes, he wanted to know why, but at the same time, he knew damn well were this was headed. Why was he questioning it? Why not just accept it?

"You seemed lonely…"she said in a faraway tone, "it was honestly your address book that broke my heart."

"So….am I correct in assuming that this is pity?"

Stupid, stupid, stupid! He this never happened to him. Well, not never, but this would be a decidedly more pleasant experience he was sure. If he would actually allow himself to have it that is.

"If you want to call it that, yes, pity is probably where it started. I could tell right away that you were alone, and the fact that you lied to me about your 'wife' only made me feel worse. You really are isolated in this village aren't you?"

Ross looked away, unable to meet her gaze. "I am pretty pathetic aren't I?"

"No, that might be how you see yourself but I, on the other hand, see someone who is cut off from everyone around him because he is, quite frankly, beyond them in intelligence and sanity. Yes, I felt bad for you, which is why I suggested sleeping in your bed in the first place. Pure companionship, which I could tell you were painfully devoid of. But as the week went on, I began to understand why you were alone, and grow fond of you. Whether you realize it or not, you are quite the catch."

This caught Ross off guard as he turned to face her once again.

"H-how, I'm antisocial, a complete introvert, I don't even lik-"

Sarah's mouth cut him off completely. The kiss was sweet and long as she brought her soft hands up to hold his face. It took him a few seconds but Ross, slowly, started to kiss back. He closed his eyes and opened his mouth slightly to allow Sarah's tongue to invade and battle with his. This, this was wonderful. His last encounter with a female, his incident with Pauline, hadn't been anywhere near this. And they were only kissing!

At great length, they pulled apart to catch their breaths. Sarah slowly began to unbutton more and more of his pajama shirt, then stopped.

"Ross?" he pulled his gaze from the ceiling to meet hers. "Do you want me to continue? I can stop if you are having second thoughts, I really don't want to rush you…"

"To be honest, I really don't know. I like you to, a lot, but I'm just not sure what to do. I mean, I know _what_ to do, it's just…I'm not very used to this. As you may infer, this doesn't happen to me on a weekly basis, and my last encounter…didn't end well…"

"How about…." She took his all but limp hand and placed it on her left breast. "We just go until you tell me to stop." She gave him a second to contemplate before she placed her hand on his chest. His breath caught in his throat as she began to gently caress his pecks and stomach. He almost went over the edge when one of her fingers grazed his nipple. After the shock wore off, he realized that he was doing little to participate and finally began to move the hand that was on her chest. His light motions elicited a small gasp from her that sent shivers racing down his spine. He wanted to do it again. He cautiously brought his other hand up to her free breast and began to massage there. Sarah's small gasps evolved into quiet moans as Ross got more and more excited. He liked it when she made those little noises, and he liked it even more that he was the one causing them.

Sarah leaned forward and captured his lips again in a hungry kiss. She then made a small trail with her lips down to his chest, then his stomach. Ross had all but given up trying to help her out. This whole experience was just so foreign to him that he couldn't wrap his head around it. Never had intimacy with a woman been this…intimate, and it was driving him wild.

While still nuzzling her head on his torso, Sarah brought down one of her hands to his upper thigh, and gently began to caress. She slowly brought it up further and further until it connected with the aching bulge growing between his legs. Ross was trying so hard to think straight, to do something, anything. There was no way he was going to let her do all of the work. At great length, he finally managed to get his limbs under control again and actually managed to roll them over to where he was on top with his knees on either side of her. He lent down and began to pull off her over-sized nightshirt, then her support tank top underneath. Good God did she have wonderful breasts, they were warm, soft, and fit perfectly into his hands. This bold move on his part incited something deep inside him. He wanted more, so much more. He wanted to touch every square inch of her, to be inside her, and for one brief moment, to make her completely his.

He brought his head down and engulfed one of her pink peaks into his mouth as he began to run his hands all over her. She left out a wanting cry that only encouraged him more as he pulled one hand back to pull down the offending pajama bottoms and release his wanting organ. Sarah had her eyes plastered closed as she ran her fingers through Ross' reddish, black hair, her heart beating faster and faster with every flick of his tongue. Ross eventually brought his lips back up to her mouth as they wrapped their arms around each other, trying desperately to get rid of any space between them. It didn't take too long for them to remember that there was just one thing left to keep them from connecting fully.

Sarah gently pushed Ross away, then she hooked her thumbs into either side of her blue boxer shorts and pulled them off while Ross watched in eager anticipation. Almost as soon as her boxers hit the floor, Ross and Sarah fit their bodies together again as their kisses and touches became more passionate and hungry. Finally, Ross couldn't take the anticipation anymore, he needed relief and he needed Sarah to give it to him.

"…Sarah…I can't…"

"Neither can I… are you ready?" She said with a half smile, as if she doubted his response.

He had never been more ready for anything in his life. He positioned himself with her, and with a slow thrust, he pushed himself in, and the connection was made. Sarah instantly drew in her breath and a gasp of pain fell from her lips. She immediately wrapped her legs around his hips and pushed him in further. Soon her cries of pain, melted into moans of pleasure as the pair began to move in delicious harmony. Ross could barely think, but he made sure to keep his eyes on Sarah. There was something wonderful about the whole thing. His last encounter had been with Pauline, that cow, and there was nothing to it but base, animalistic, awkward sex. But this was so much different, they were facing each other and taking pleasure in the pleasure they were giving, a concept that Ross had never experienced in _any _of his previous encounters. This ruminating didn't last long as Ross was reaching his peak but Sarah beat him to the punch. She suddenly tensed and in a strained whisper, said his name. Then, everything went white.

Ross fell next to Sarah as they pulled each other close and waited for the after shocks to die away.

"…Thank you…" was all Ross could manage out, his breath still not fully caught up.

"Anytime." Sarah replied as she moved to match her back up with Ross's chest.

Ross pulled the blankets back onto the bed and covered them both as the air in the room was starting to loose its heat. He then wrapped an arm around her as she snuggled closer to him and sighed. He wanted to fully relax but something was bothering him.

"Sarah?"

"Yes" she responded, half asleep already.

"What is this exactly?"

"I'm sure you know what this is, but the proper name is 'spooning'."

"I'm serious."

"I know you are…."she gave a an exhausted sigh," I honestly don't know, but how about you give yourself some peace and shut off that damn brain of yours for a few hours. We can always figure this out in the morning."

When he didn't respond right away, Sarah turned over in the bed and placed her head on the crook of his arm and started to draw little patterns on his chest. Amazingly, this distracted and calmed him enough to send him off to a deep and blissful sleep. After all, there _was _always tomorrow.


	8. Chapter 8

A.N.- so this got jotted down in one sitting, I have no idea how much is left. I know what all is going into the story and how it is going to end, but I really don't know how long it is going to take to get there. We are beyond the halfway point though, so congratulations for making it this far. I love reviews so don't be shy. Enjoy

Ross awoke the next morning to find himself in bed alone. A wave of despair fell over him as he was almost certain he had dreamed the whole thing. And he might well have. Sarah's side of the bed was made and there were no traces of the night's proceedings. Who was he kidding? She would never sleep with him! He obviously had one too many glasses of wine at dinner the night before and fever dreamed the rest.

Exasperated and nursing a huge headache, Ross let his head fall back onto his pillow and cocooned himself in his blankets. Maybe, if and when Sarah made her way into the room she would think he was still asleep and leave him be. He couldn't face her just now, he couldn't. The things he might have said. The things he might have attempted!

After a few minutes, he heard a door open, and that wonderful green scent penetrated the room. She had been in the bathroom getting ready for the day. He remained perfectly motionless as he heard her shuffle about the room. Hopefully, she would just leave.

"Ross? Honey, are you OK?"

No such luck.

"Ross, is everything alright?"

The blanket was gently pulled down and he found his face about half a foot away from hers.

"Are you not feeling well?"

"No, no, I'm fine. I think I just have a hangover from last night." That's right, apologize, grovel, and beg for forgiveness. "I am so sorry for anything I may have done or possibly said."

Sarah had a confused look on her face as she got up from the floor and sat next to him on the bed. Her hair was wrapped up in a towel and she had on her usual pajamas.

"Um….you didn't have anything to drink last night, I mean you had about a glass of wine…"

"…I…I didn't drink?"

"No, "she laughed, "why? Was it that forgettable? Or was I too rough?" A wide smile ran across her face as she put the back of her hand to his forehead in a feign attempt to feel his temperature.

"I thought…last night…."

"Oh sweetie." Her sarcastic smile melted into a gentler one of understanding as she leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead.

She got up and went back towards the bathroom. "Wait right there."

When she returned, she had removed the towel and semi-dried her hair. It was a bit of an odd sight. Ross couldn't recall ever seeing it down and loose. Every time he saw her, her hair was in an up do or braid. He didn't realize just how long her hair was. Right now it was bouncing in messy, damp tousles halfway down her back. She quietly walked over to the bed and crawled in next to him, allowing him to wrap his arms around her and pull her in close.

"Do you regret what happened last night?" she asked softly, "If you do, we can pretend like it never happened, although I would prefer not to."

"No! I don't regret last night at all. It was wonderful, too good to be true. But…"

"But what?"

"What where does that leave us? What does it make us?"

"It's not like we are any different Ross, we are two people. We were two people yesterday, and we are two people today."

"It seems to me like I am a person asking a question and you are a person who is avoiding answering a question." Ross said, a little agitated at Sarah's dodging.

"I don't know what we are Ross..." She responded with a little bite in her voice. "…I don't know… I like you, a lot. I really do. But I don't like complications, I have enough on my plate to deal with already."

"I like you to, but what about when you leave? I mean how do we want to handle this?" She turned in the bed to face him, propping herself up on her side. "I don't emotionally open up all that easily and what happened last night was the type of thing I don't take lightly. I don't want to be just a "fling" you had on vacation that you go home and blab to all of your girlfriends about."

Immediately after he finished, he wished he could take it back. It was exactly what he was thinking, his insecurities, but he didn't mean for it to come out that way. It was further confirmed by the light slap across the face he soon received.

"Do you honestly think that I would drag you into bed just for the hell of it? To say all of those things just to get some cheap action?" She sat up even further, almost towering over his fully reclined frame. "I meant every word I said last night, and I do have feelings for you. And I can honestly say that finding someone while I was over here was the last thing on my list. I'm not prepared. Too complicated…" She slumped a little, as if exhausted.

"I'm sorry, I really didn't mean for it to come out like that. I have trust and relationship issues, so you can see how this could be a little hard for me to deal with." He apologized, he had never seen her truly angry, he didn't like it.

"I know," she said with a sigh as she brought herself back down to the bed. "I understand. So how about this? We don't know where this is heading, or what _this_ is, so why not just take it a day at a time? Just go about our normal routines."

"But what about…the you know…? And when you leave? What then?"

"Well, I hope we can still squeeze in the occasional romp." She said with a playful smile. " And why not cross that other bridge when we come to it? Deal?"

"Deal." Ross still had some aching doubts in the back of his head, but he knew Sarah was right. It was too soon to tell where they were going, and it would be foolish, even detrimental to try and dissect it now. He was used to planning, to being in control, but this? This would have to be done her way; he could tell that it was the best option. But eventually she would have to leave to go back to the states. He knew already that he didn't want her to go.

They lay there wrapped up in each other's limbs in silence for a few minutes before Sarah made to get up.

"So, how's about some eggs in a basket?"

"That sounds wonderful." He was starving, the events of the night before had drained him of his energy and he was in desperate need of some nourishment.


	9. Chapter 9

A.N.- I'm on roll, hurray for new memories!

All throughout breakfast Ross couldn't keep his eyes from drifting over to the couch in his living room. He generally didn't like to think about it, and he kept meaning to replace it. He just couldn't stand to look at it since Pauline had been there. This past week with Sarah had honestly been the only thing that distracted him from it and just about anything to do with the horrid cow. But now, now that he had gotten intimate with Sarah, a fact he was still trying to wrap his head around, the couch bothered him even more. It was like that damn uncomfortable thing was pointedly staring at him from across the room, a horrible ugly reminder of the nasty deed he had done.

Sarah, ever observant, couldn't help but notice Ross drifting in and out of the conversation to glare at the offending sofa.

"Is there a bug over there or something?"

"What?...No, no sorry, I was just thinking…."

"About the couch…I didn't realize that I had such stiff competition."

"No, I was thinking about getting rid of the thing."

"Really?" Sarah smirked, "Why? I mean yeah it's uncomfortable, but it really ties the room together and, no offence, but you seem like the kind of person who prefers style over comfort."

"It's just a horrible reminder for me." Ross said in a bit of a far away tone, he was getting absorbed in it again and half hoping that she would just drop it.

"A reminder of what?"

Damn he should have known better than to bring it up, she was getting bolder. This would have angered him more if he wasn't so mentally distant at the moment, which would probably explain the next thing that came out of his mouth

"I slept with Pauline." Shit!

"I-I'm sorry, what?" Sarah froze, toast halfway to her mouth.

"…On that couch…" Ross managed out, defeated; it was out in the open now, and there was no going back. Sarah didn't really hear him though, now it was her turn to stare at the furniture. He was sure any minute now that she was going to explode and storm out.

After what seemed like an eternity she finally turned to face him.

"Ok, you are going to have to explain." She said more out of shock than anger.

"It was about a month ago…"

The whole sordid tale came pouring out. It was like a spigot was opened and the words came flooding from him. He told her everything, the undercover dole sting, her subsequent firing, which led to her kidnapping him through the nosebleed breakout, him escaping and getting her arrested, his cutting a deal for her freedom if she did some minor spying, and finally, his sleeping with her and then proceeding to blackmail her.

"…I still have her file in my car. I'm supposed to turn her back in as she didn't hold up her end of the deal." Ross sat slumped in his chair, exhausted and raw, but not in the good way. "What bothers me the most is…I'm not entirely sure why I slept with her in the first place. I hate her, with every fiber of my being, but I…I just don't have the answer, I don't think I wanted to blackmail her when we _started_ but it ended up that way."

Sarah had gotten up halfway through the exposition dump and began to move about the kitchen, asking questions here and there about what happened and what was said.

"I think I can explain, now I'm not sure, but I think I do know why."

"You do?!"

"I think so, Ross, I'm a writer, please credit me with some form of imagination and knowledge of the human condition." She replied indignantly. "I think it was never your intention to blackmail her, and yes you do have every right to be angry.."

"But then…"

"Let me finish." She put a silencing finger to his mouth. "It sounds to me like you two are very much alike in at least one respect, your love of your jobs. She reacted the way she did when she got fired, you reacted the way you did when she made you hate it. A-bupbup! I will expound, I promise." She stopped Ross from inquiring further. "She wasn't as passionate anymore because she found something else, Mickey, whereas you, on the other hand, had nothing just your job. Your only reason for getting up in the morning, which now, thanks to her, you hated. She took away the one thing you really cared about. What tops it all off? She has found love and is getting a happy ending, what about you? When you slept with her….on that couch… you probably saw one last chance to have something, anything to distract you from your seemingly meaningless life. _Then_, when you found out that she only screwed you to give up the file on Mickey, you snapped. You decided all bets were off and wanted to make her pay in the only way you saw fit. She took away what you loved, and you were damn well going to do the same."

Of course, why didn't he think of that? Then again, he wasn't thinking clearly at the time, admittedly it was the first time he had gotten laid in a while. Maybe, in the end he just needed someone to talk to about it and Sarah was the only one he would dare to tell.

"So, now I guess the pressing concern right now would be what to do with the couch." Sarah walked over to look at it.

"What? Aren't you angry? Upset? Don't you want to slap me for what I've done?" He was bewildered, he knew they way he acted was reprehensible.

"I don't exactly condone what you did Ross, but I understand why you did it."

"You aren't jealous?"

She wheeled around with a bemused smile. "And why should I be jealous? You hadn't even met me yet. Now about the couch, something needs to be done."

"I told you, I've decided to get rid of it."

"I don't think you need to do that, but we need to do something, I can't stand the sight of it now." She had made her way over to the couch and was staring at it now.

"I thought you weren't jealous." Ross said raising an eyebrow.

"Ross, I may be an understanding and rational woman, but I _am_ a woman. I may not be jealous per say, but we can't just leave it like this." She motioned to the couch.

"Well I would like to get rid of it, the damn thing gives me awful memories."

"Hmm… what if…." She said sitting on the arm, facing him. "What if we got you some new memories to associate with this…love seat…"

"I-I don't get what you're saying…"

"Really? You don't get what I'm saying?" She gave a sly grin as she began to pull off her shirt.

"Ohhh…" Ross smiled as he slowly made his way over to her.


	10. Chapter 10

A.N. -Soo sorry this took so long, it has been half written for a week and a half, but life has just exploded in my face and it has been paper, after test, after research project, and on top of that i'm on several committees at my school, one of which is preparing to go to a conference this weekend. Nevermind about my busy life though, you guys are here for a story. This is the LAST OFFICIAL CHAPTER...there will be an epilogue of course, i wouldn't leave you guys hanging like that... Read, Review, and thanks for the views!

The next couple of weeks flew by in a sort of dreamy blur. They followed a routine, for the most part. They got up, one showered while one made breakfast, they both left at different times. Sarah would always make it back to the flat before him and have dinner ready, they would then do whatever until it was time for bed. Some nights they had sex, some nights they didn't, but they always ended up in each other's arms for the remainder of the night. This was the routine and Ross enjoyed it immensely. He liked routine in itself. He liked the predictability of it. What surprised him, however, is that their routine was never really set and he didn't mind. Sure, the basics were the same, but somehow Sarah kept them from monotony.

He was woken up that next Monday by her rather talented mouth. Ross had never woken up so wonderfully. He got a little morning wake up call like that every few days. Some nights, they would have music with their food, and every once in a while, Sarah could convince him to pause his meal and get him to dance with her in the kitchen. On weekends, Ross would accompany Sarah on what she called "photographic excursions," where she would hike around town taking pictures for her book and he would show her all of Vasey's ins and outs. One Sunday, he took her up on the great hill overlooking the town and showed her the remains of the Local Shop.

As mush as a blur the weeks had been, Ross was still able to keep one thing clear in his head, eventually Sarah was going to return to the states. And that "eventually" was getting closer and closer. This thought wasn't constant though, it usually came in the morning just after he woke up an realized that she was in his arms, or it would occur to him just after their semi-nightly lovemaking. He could tell that the bubble was getting ready to burst. With each passing day, Sarah had less and less people to interview. Sure, she still had the book to write and some other preliminary research to do, but Ross was well aware that her editor and publisher weren't too keen on her staying longer than her allotted time. There was only so much money they were going to allow for her overseas expenditures.

Whenever the thought struck him, he quickly banished it, he didn't want a cloud over what precious little time they had. He stayed in her mindset; they would tackle it when the day came. That fateful day turned out to be a Tuesday, about five or so weeks after her initial arrival. They were sitting down to dinner when she brought it up.

"So, I interviewed my last person today." She said simply over her plate. The statement caught him by surprise. He knew it was coming from the moment he walked in the flat, the air was heavier somehow, he knew but he wouldn't admit it to himself.

"What is the plan then?" He replied as nonchalantly as possible.

"Well, I talked to my editor earlier today and he has agreed to give me until the end of the work week to wrangle up any last stragglers and do any last minute on site research, then I will leave on for London on Saturday, I think my flight back to Chicago is that night." She was keeping a calm demeanor, but Ross could tell that she was sadder about the whole situation than she was letting on.

"…Should we talk or anything?" He knew that they were going to have to sit down and talk this, whatever it was, through before she left. He just didn't know how to approach the subject.

"Umm, yeah…we should…" He could tell by her tone that she wasn't ready to talk about their, as yet undefined, relationship, but she knew that it needed to happen.

After they had finished their meals and cleared away the table, the pair sat facing each other on the uncomfortable sofa in Ross's living room.

"Wow, this really went by fast…"Sarah said in disbelief, much to Ross's relief, he was glad he wasn't the only one that felt that way.

"Yes…it sure did, didn't it?"

"Yes…" They spent several minutes in uncomfortable silence, neither knowing what to say. It was Sarah, as usual, who broke the silence first.

"Ross….I…" She struggled to find the right words and meet his eyes. "I want to tell you right off, that I didn't plan for this to happen when I first came here, mainly because I didn't know what I would do if it did happen."

"Would be improper to tell you that I'm glad it did happen." Ross offered with a smile. She seemed to perk up at the statement.

"Yeah, we did have fun didn't we?" She was trying to make light of the situation, but there was something in the way she said "fun" that had the undertones of something deeper.

"So what is going to happen?"

"What is going to happen is that I'm going to go back to America at the end of the week and get my book written." She said with her eyes drifting down to her hands in her lap.

"Sarah. You know what I mean. What is going to happen to _us._" He could tell she was trying desperately to skirt the problem.

"I don't know!" She said a little louder than she meant. "…I just don't know…I really like you Ross, but I don't know what we are going to do."

"Neither do I, honestly." Ross leant back against the armrest, defeated. He was secretly hoping she would have some magical solution. She always seemed to know what to do, she had the uncanny ability to pull and ace out of her pocket, but not this time.

"Could we part as friends?" She asked, looking up.

"Friends?" He didn't particularly care for the offer, neither did she, he noticed, but it was a solution. "Nothing more?"

"No, I don't think so, not with an ocean between us. I had enough trouble trying to keep a long distance relationship going in college when the guy was just one state over. And friends have an easier time keeping in touch." She offered a weak smile as if trying to convince herself, as well as him, that this was a good solution.

"So you do want to keep in touch?" Ross met her gaze.

"Yes I do, there is phone, email, Skype. And as friends, we definitely don't need to see each other as urgently."

"This is for the best right?" He wasn't being sarcastic. He wanted affirmation that they were on the same page, even though they both didn't want to be there.

"Yes….Yes it is for the best. If we establish that we are friends, then it will be easier for both of us to leave and stay in contact…"

"Which we will stay in contact…right?"

"Of course…that is what friends do."

"So, if I understand this right, we are leaving as friends?"

"Yes…" She responded, a little confused, she was sure that the point was clear enough.

"But, before you leave…what are we? Still friends?" Ross raised an eyebrow.

"hmmm… I would consider us friends with benefits…"She gave an almost saucy smile, in spite of the lie.

"Nothing more?" he probed a little further.

"No, it would be easier that way, wouldn't it?"

"Yes, no of course, you're right." And she was, she was always right. He knew that she didn't feel that way, but he also knew that he leaving would be easier if they viewed themselves in this light. If they established themselves as friends this early in their relationship, the distance should be easier to bear, and move forward from.

They shook hands and cuddled close together to catch a film on TV to finish off the night.

The remainder of the week was spent how they normally spent their weeks, even though there was steadily growing cloud hanging over them. Sarah did a few more treks around Vasey to get in some last minute pictures and locations while Ross was at work.

Friday night, after a wonderful and Pauline free, dinner at Luigi's, Ross and Sarah burned the midnight oil in each other's arms in his enormous bed.

'God!' he thought, 'why does her hair have to smell to wonderful?' He loved spooning with her and that lovely green scent filling his nostrils.

Most of the conversation they had that night consisted mainly of small talk, consisting of the steps Sarah had left in completing her book and getting it published, then sold. But for a solid hour now, they had been content to lie in silence and each other's company.

"Ross, could I ask you a favor?" She broke the silence, with a small, tired voice.

"What is it?"

"I want you to promise me, that you won't turn Pauline in to the authorities."

"What? You are bringing this up now?" He was taken aback, Pauline was the last person he wanted to be thinking about on Sarah's last night with him.

"Yes. I want you to let her off the hook and go to the wedding."

"Why?"

"Because, she is happy, and even though you may not agree, you shouldn't rob her of that. Unlike what you've told me about her at work, this is real, what her and Mickey have. It would be unfair of you to rob them of that."

"Unfair?! She is doesn't deserve fairness!"

"Ross, everyone deserves happiness, you should understand that. I'm not asking you to walk her down the aisle and hold her hand while she is cutting the cake. I'm just asking you to be the bigger man." She turned in the bed to look at him, an he would be damned to say no to those round, blue eyes with the street light from outside dancing in them.

"Deal…" He said after a minute of contemplating why he didn't just turn Pauline in and be done with it.

"Good." She smiled and turned back around in the bed to press herself against his small but fit frame.

"Did you forget anything?" Ross braced himself against the chill in the air at the train station.

"Ross, we walked through your apartment twice!" she held up two fingers. "it is physically impossible for me to have forgotten anything."

They had been having last minute conversations and exchanging of information while they waited for her train. At long last, the train to London, was announced and they turned to face each other with only minutes left.

"Listen.. Ross I…"He held up a hand to stop her, this was hard enough as it by itself without any clichéd confessions of love before they were to be separated forever. Instead, he held out his hand to be taken in friendship. She looked at it for a second before encompassing it in her own and shaking it.

"I have a sort of 'goodbye' present for you…" She pulled a flat, rectangular object out of her backpack wrapped in gift tissue paper.

"Don't open it until I leave okay?" She smiled sadly as he took it from her hand and examined it.

"Okay…." He was going to say something else, but he was cut off by Sarah flinging her arms around him and planting a sweet and passionate kiss on his ear. He eagerly returned the hug before the last call was made for her train. She slowly pulled away and started to make he way towards the door.

"No matter what time it is when you land, call me. I want to make sure you made it back alright." He shouted as the boarded the train.

"Okay Dad." She smirked as she tossed her hair over her shoulder and stole one last look at him before the doors closed behind her.

Ross stood there at the platform, gift secured under his arm as he watched the train depart from the station, carrying the American writer along with it.

Ross waited until he got back to his flat to open the small, paper-clad present. A few quick tears revealed a framed picture with a note covering the image:

"Pictures are moments we want to remember, you need more of these around your place. – Ever yours, S."

He pulled away the note to reveal the picture, it was their first date at Luigi's that the street photographer had taken. And Ross was right, the picture was messed up after all. Sarah was in the middle of a laugh, bent forward slightly with a hand on his chest to steady herself. Ross, on the other hand, was looking at her with an amused smile, with one arm across her shoulder to keep her upright and the other pointing towards to camera to get her to look at it before he snapped the shot.

Sarah was right, it was a good picture. Ross smiled to himself as he placed the photo in the middle of his counter and went to order Chinese for lunch.


	11. Epilogue

A.N. - here it is! I hope you guys didn't honestly think that I was going to leave you on a cliff hanger or sad ending did you? Awww I actually feel sad that I'm finished. This has been my stress relief for the past few months and not to mention that it's my first fanfic. Thank you to all that read my story, reviewed, and put up with my grammar mistakes. And while I can't guarantee anything, I am open to suggestions. I'm into quite a few british shows and there is a wide pool of suggestions there...not to hint at anything but I think I might have one or two Torchwood oneshots in me, possibly a Young Ones, if I'm feeling saucy. I'm big on couples that never quite got their shot or things were never made clear on.

Thank you all again, and don't be shy, please let me know what you think.

Sarah's departure was hard on Ross. Really, life went back to the way it had always been, but that was the problem. He had always enjoyed his routine, but now, he wasn't so sure he wanted to return to it. He knew how to deal with being alone, and there were definitely times where he enjoyed it, seeing as how there was not a single person in Roytson Vasey he could have a competent conversation with. Not anymore. He had a taste of what it was like to be a normal person with another to care about and caring about them in return.

And, although he would never admit to it out loud, Pauline's holding him hostage had changed him for the worse. Up until then, he had been somewhat content with his solitary existence, but his kidnapping had been a slap in the face. At first, it was an inconvenience. Ross knew that someone would surely notice his absence in a matter hours, and, as far as he knew, someone was supposed to be informing the police of his situation. He could wait. And wait he did. It took days before Pauline went out to go get food and he was able to convince Mickey to let him go. He was crushed before he found out that the nosebleed epidemic had been raging through the town. But still, epidemic or not, chaos or not, why wasn't there at least one person who knew he was missing? Sarah would have noticed. He came out of the experience bitter and a little more hardened to others, which caused him to retreat into himself even more.

In the end, his solitary lifestyle pained him but he kept to it out of security and habit. He didn't realize how much it did pain him until Sarah walked in and out of his life, throwing a huge bucket of his lonely reality in his face while she was at it. He was almost angry with her. How dare she come into his flat make him realize how pitiful and isolated his existence was.

It was her smell, or lack there of, that depressed him the most. For the first few nights he was able to find comfort in the fact that everything in his bedroom smelt just like her. That lovely green smell was imprinted in his bed, on his pillow, and woven into his sheets. That lovely, clean smell helped him to fall asleep at night, and wake him up in the morning, before he remembered that she was not there to back it up. What killed him was that, with each passing day, the smell got more and more faint, until after about a week, the scent was all but gone from his flat.

They talked quite a bit at first, she had called him as soon as she landed. They also skyped a few times that first week, but they could both tell that a connection was lost. It just wasn't the same as them being in the same room. After a few weeks though, the chats got fewer and farer between. Communication dwindled to a few emails between them keeping each other informed on what was going on. She would always email him on an update about where the book was in its final writing stages before she sent it in to her publisher. At one point he informed her, that after some heavy contemplation, he decided to go to the Pauline and Mickey's wedding after all and even attached some pictures of the reception. At the end of her response, she wrote that she missed him and would be sure to send him a copy of the book once it was published, which was set to be out that winter, only a few months away. He told her that it was sure to be a success and he couldn't wait to read it, attaching his physical address in case she needed it.

He was at work in late November when he got a notification from the mayor's office. A huge box of books had come in from America, addressed to the town of Royston Vasey, with Ross' name on it. Inside was an impersonal letter explaining to the mayor that these were to be given out to "the good people of Royston Vasey, as thanks for all of their great help, and that others were in transit." The box was neatly packed with dozens of hard cover books, all bearing the title, _Chaos in Royston Vasey. _Ross had been marveling at the book's cover, a lovely snapshot of the town from where the Local Shop had been, when he absent mindedly flipped through the first few pages and stopped on the dedication page: "To all the citizens of Royston Vasey, without whom, this book never would have happened. And to Ross, for the three hots and a cot." He couldn't help but smile while he felt a sharp pang in his stomach. He had been settling into a feeling of easy emptiness, as their communication had gotten more sparse and he was in the process of closing himself off again. But the books coming, as much of an achievement as it was, only served to bring him right back to when Sarah first left.

He claimed the book and decided to take the rest of the day off. He needed to be alone, not that he wasn't already alone at work, but if he was going to be suffering, he might as well do it in the comfort of his own home. Not that is was a brilliant idea or anything. He stepped into his apartment only to be met with a brick wall of cold air that matched the weather outside. The heating must have kicked out again. Ross swore to himself as he went to dig through his closet to find his plug-in space heater, it was going to take the rest of the afternoon for that small little thing to reheat the flat. He decided to kill some of that time with a long, hot shower. God willing the water heater for the complex was still running, and he would be able to zone out for, at least a few minutes.

Ross was in the process of getting dry when he heard the buzzer go off near his front door. He cursed again, and threw on his bathrobe and slippers over his pants to make the trek across his, still freezing flat, to get to the front door.

"Yeah what is it?" He asked as he turned on the small screen next to the intercom buzzer to see who could possibly be ringing his doorbell, especially since he was still thought to be working. The response came before the screen flicked on.

"Mmmhhhvvvvdddllvvvrry."

"What?!" The screen finally came on to reveal a heavily bundled deliveryman carrying what looked like another shipment of books from Sarah. A carrier, which was going to need a signature. On the tiny screen, he could make out what was probably a delivery confirmation sheet on top of the box. The carrier hit the intercom buzzer again with his elbow and repeated the same muffled message.

"Hold on, I'll buzz you in." Ross was not prepared to face the elements in just a bathrobe, the carrier would have to just lug the box up the stairs and get his signature then. He would make sure to give him a tip for the extra work. In not time at all he heard a knock on the door.

"Come on in, sorry, you are just catching me out of the shower. Hold on I'll get pen." The carrier set the box down and waited for Ross to return with the pen.

"Sorry about the temp. The heating's out." He hurriedly walked past the carrier who was busy trying to take off his scarf so that they could carry on a cohesive conversation.

"That's a real shame." Came the reply from the carrier once the scarf was off. Ross absent-mindedly nodded while looking for his wallet before he froze in mid step. "We are just going to have to do something about that now, aren't we?"

Ross couldn't speak, it took all of his will power to get himself to turn around and face the, now de-bundled, carrier.

"I brought you your books." Sarah offered when Ross didn't reply.

More silence.

"Surprise?" she offered up.

Continued silence.

"Jesus Ross, please say something."

It took him a few more moments to will himself to speak, but he did finally manage out something.

"Why? What are you doing here?" he asked more out of general confusion rather than anger.

"I decided to do my first book signing here since I have this town to thank for the book's success."

"And you want to stay here? For how long? Because I don't think I could handle this, whatever it is, again. The Inn is back up and running, you can probably find lodgings there." Sarah waited patiently for him to finish.

"Do you not want me here? Since there is no deadline for me to reach or time limit to fall under, I was kinda hoping that….we could give this another shot…" Ross met her gaze, but didn't respond right away, so she took advantage. "I felt such a disconnect when I left and I hated it, a lot more than I thought I would. So I decided to come here, to your flat, and see how you felt." She smiled a little awkwardly; she had probably assumed that this whole exchange was going to go differently.

She rolled the dice, and tentatively approached Ross, wrapping him up in a warm embrace. He was tense for the first few seconds, but he slowly brought his arms up and brought them around her.

"Shit Ross, you're freezing!" She shuddered as she felt his cold cheek against hers. She pulled away, unzipping her puffy coat and wrapping him up in it. He could feel her wonderful body heat emanating through her clothes and his bathrobe. He missed this.

"I told you the heating was out." Ross said quietly with a small smile.

"And you're still all wet to boot." She laughed as she ruffled her hand through his damp hair. "You are going to get sick. Let's see what we can do to warm you up."

She took hold of his hands and put them under her shirt so he could wrap them around to the small of her back. She brought her hands up to his face and gently rubbed his cheeks trying to get some heat generated though fiction. Finally, she lent in and took his mouth in hers.

"Now," she said, breathless after a few minutes of passionate tongue battle. "What else can be done to get your blood circulating?" A devious smile running across her face.

"I think I might have an idea or two…" He returned the naughty grin and led her, by hand, to the bedroom.

That night, after several intense blood circulating exercises, a home-cooked meal, and yet another hot shower, Ross found himself spooning against a snoozing Sarah. Her back was pressed against his stomach, and she was holding his hand in hers. The placement of her head allowed him to nuzzle his nose into her hair and get a lungful of that magical green scent, and he felt quite at peace.


End file.
